From Ghost Stories to Coexistence: My Journey with Civets in Southern India

Dr Shammer (second in from the left) with colleagues conducting fieldwork

In this edition of our Meet the Researcher blog series, we hear from Dr Shameer, who is a conservationist and member of the IUCN SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group Civet Working Group. Welcome Dr Shameer!

When people think about wildlife conservation in India, they often picture tigers or elephants.

Yet across forests, plantations, villages, and even inside our homes, another group of

mammals quietly plays a vital ecological role: civets.

For me, civets are not just a research focus. They are part of my childhood and the foundation

of my conservation journey.

Growing Up Close to Wildlife

I was born and raised in Gudalur, Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu, close to Mudumalai Tiger

Reserve. This region is a rich mosaic of forests, tea estates, coffee plantations, and human

settlements, where wildlife was always part of everyday life. I spent much of my childhood

exploring streams, fishing, and watching birds. I was driven by a fascination with the natural world. I was especially captivated by colourful parakeets and the winter visitor, the paradise flycatcher. A large part of my childhood was spent in my grandfather’s small farmland, giving me the chance to observe nature up close.

Wildlife was also a common theme in my family stories, and my curiosity and excitement grew as I listened to tales of animals. Some were rooted in reality, others steeped in myth. I was always drawn to the beauty of wildlife. I felt like petting every colourful bird I saw and watching the attractive freshwater fish in the streams around me. These early encounters sparked a sense of wonder and curiosity that stayed with me throughout my life.

Being surrounded by such biodiversity from a young age fostered a deep curiosity about the

animals around me. Over time, this curiosity developed into a passion for wildlife biology,

eventually leading me to specialize in small carnivores, particularly those living in human-

dominated landscapes.

Asian palm civet (Photo credit: Dr Shameer)

My First Civet Encounter

Civets are mostly nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. Because of this, they are often

heard more than seen, and in many rural areas, mysterious night sounds are sometimes linked

to myths or ghost stories.

My first civet sighting happened when I was in 7th grade. One night, a villager brought a

large animal that had been hit by a vehicle. It was an Asian palm civet. I was surprised by its

size and appearance. Until then, such animals existed for me only in stories.

Seeing it up close changed my perspective. It was not something supernatural, it was a

native wild species sharing our landscape. That moment replaced fear with curiosity and

quietly shaped my interest in wildlife.

In Nilgiri landscape, coffee plantations are common. During the fruiting season, when coffee

berries ripen into bright red fruits, a familiar visitor arrives—the Asian palm civet

(Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). While sometimes perceived as crop raiders, they even attack

poultry.

Asian palm civet (Photo credit: Dr Shameer)

When “Ghost Sounds” Became Science

Years later, during my PhD, I had another memorable encounter with a civet. I was staying at my PhD guide’s traditional Kerala-style house, which had a wooden attic loft used for storage. His parents often heard sounds at night—light thuds and movement above the ceiling. Naturally, there was curiosity about what might be there. Instead of speculating, I installed a camera trap—a motion-activated camera used in wildlife research.

The footage revealed the visitor: a common palm civet using the attic as a resting space.

The mysterious “night presence” turned out to be a well-adapted urban survivor.

In Kerala, common palm civets are frequently found in roof spaces and attics. Even in my

own house, a civet occupies such a space. On several occasions, I have seen it moving across

the attic floor or running outside at night.

This is coexistence in its most direct form—wildlife living quietly alongside us.

Leopard cat (Photo credit: Dr Shameer)

My Research on Small Carnivores in India

I study a variety of small carnivores in Tamil Nadu, focusing on lesser-known species like

jackals, foxes, and pangolins. Most of their habitats lie outside protected areas, where they

face threats such as habitat loss, poaching, killing, and road accidents. My work aims to

identify and prioritize critical habitats to guide conservation programs.

Many other species, including civets, mongooses, and wild cats, also face significant threats

but receive little conservation attention. I aim to develop action plans for these species to

ensure their long-term survival.

Earlier, I studied the brown palm civet, an endemic species of the Western Ghats, and found

that rainforest destruction and habitat fragmentation pose serious threats to its survival.

Similarly, for the vulnerable Nilgiri marten, much of its range overlaps with tea, coffee, and

timber plantations, highlighting the importance of conserving non-protected areas adjacent to

reserves.

I have also worked on three mongoose species: the ruddy mongoose, stripe-necked

mongoose, and brown mongoose. I worked on providing baseline data on their spatiotemporal patterns, which help in understanding the complex community ecology of the Western Ghats.

In the Godavari Delta, my research on the fishing cat shows that this region is a key

landscape for long-term conservation. We found that fishing cats show high temporal overlap

with rodents but avoid human disturbances, suggesting that reducing anthropogenic stress is

essential for sustaining populations in human-dominated landscapes.

My studies on golden jackals along the southern Western Ghats coastline revealed fascinating

coat colour variations, including melanism, leucism, and rusty coats. These patterns may result

from hybridization with free-ranging dogs, which poses a potential conservation threat to

these populations.

Jackal (Photo credit: Dr Shameer)

At various stages of my research, I observed that some small carnivores are hunted and

consumed as food by local communities, which further threatens them. This highlights the

critical need to raise awareness of the ecological importance of these species and the urgency

of their conservation.

As a member of the IUCN SSC Small Carnivore Specialist Group Civet Working Group, I

contribute to the Red List assessment for the Asian palm civet, assisting in evaluating its

conservation status. Additionally, I actively organise awareness programmes for the public

and government officials to promote civet conservation. Through these efforts, I aim to

establish long-term conservation initiatives that combine research, outreach, and community

involvement to guarantee the survival of these species.

Dr Shameer presents his research to colleagues (Photo credit: Dr Shameer)